How to teach your native language to your children

We’re within the twenty first century and witnessing plenty of dramatic adjustments in virtually all facets of life. However one change I will by no means be comfy with is the gradual dying of our Nigerian native languages.

Many trendy youngsters battle to kind easy sentences of their language, and that is a major blow to the tradition that makes us distinctive. Sadly, we will not fully blame trendy mother and father as a result of we perceive how troublesome it’s to shuttle between work deadlines, infinite conferences, Lagos site visitors, and cooking a 3-hours pot of ofe nsala.

This stuff can really feel so overwhelming that it turns into extremely troublesome to seek out the time to show your little one Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, or any native language.

This is the excellent news: there’s hope for you, no matter how busy life will get.

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You may truly educate your native language to your youngsters with out disrupting your busy schedule, and we’re right here to show you the way. Let’s go!

Begin Small, Begin Early

Let’s face the actual fact: You may’t simply get up and do all of the work without delay. It is a gradual course of that takes time. So, you need not begin with 2-hour language courses each weekend. As an alternative, you can begin by sprinkling easy phrases into your day by day communication.

The best phrases, like come or eat in your language, will stick with your child’s mind extra simply than forcing them to cram a full paragraph. The thought is to stay constant. Youngsters love repetition as a result of it prevents them from getting bored with it too quickly.

Use Labels Across the Home

One other nice thought is to show your own home right into a mini language classroom. Essentially the most important advantage of this concept is that it requires no further work.

Merely label on a regular basis gadgets in your language, resembling “door,” “chair,” “cup,” “fridge,” and even “distant.” The thought right here is to have them see and keep in mind the native phrases for these things each time they work together with them. Studying turns into pure, and also you don’t even have to depart your front room.

Use Music and Cartoons

Let’s face it: children love display time. As an alternative of combating it, use it! Discover youngsters’s songs, nursery rhymes, or animated tales in your language. Platforms like YouTube have tons of content material.

Youngsters decide up language quicker by music and tales than they do from grammar books. Earlier than you already know it, they’ll be singing cultural songs louder than you at Christmas household dance-offs.

Reward Progress

Youngsters love rewards (similar to adults love wage alerts). After they appropriately say a sentence or study new phrases, reward them or give small treats.

It motivates them to maintain working towards and makes studying enjoyable reasonably than a chore.

Don’t Stress About Perfection

They could combine up phrases, pronounce issues hilariously incorrect, and even kind brand-new “variations” of the language. Calm down!

Consistency is extra vital than perfection. Over time, they’ll enhance – and people humorous errors will turn into household inside jokes.

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Conclusion 

Educating your little one your native language is a lovely present—one which connects them to their roots and retains your tradition alive. And guess what? You don’t should sacrifice your profession, hustle, or private time to do it. A bit of creativity, consistency, and loads of endurance go a great distance.